THE JASPILITE

WINTER 2016 ISSUE

Our Purpose:

To enjoy, to learn, to

teach and conserve

The rocks, the gems, the

fossils and ores,

To collect, to admire, to

brag and to show

The material we’ve

found, we’ll trade for

yours.

-Bob & Marian Markert

(founding members)

For 40 years, the Ishpeming Rock and

Mineral Club’s annual Gem and

Mineral Show has been a popular

summer destination for rockhounds

from the local area and across the

country. Dealers in all sorts of gem

and mineral-related items fill the

building and parking lot. Most dealers

keep coming back year after year, and

there is always a waiting list of

vendors who would like to

participate.

This year the show faces several

significant challenges: two events that

have coordinated with our show, the

Renaissance Faire and Keweenaw

Mineral Days, have either been

cancelled or rescheduled, and our

longtime show chairman, Ernie

Johnson, has had to scale back his

involvement with the show.

Ernie has been planning and running

the show for many more years than

I’ve been a member. He’s taken care

of the innumerable details both in

front and behind the scenes –

contracting with vendors, arranging

for the venue, securing donations,

getting publicity, licensing the raffle,

scheduling presenters and

coordinating volunteers, to mention

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK…

just a few. Ernie’s wife, Helen

Johnson, is another long-time club

member who has always worked on

the show, filling whatever position

was needed. Due to family medical

concerns, Ernie and Helen’s priorities

are centered at home. We are going

to need club members to step

forward to learn and take on all the

jobs that are needed to keep our

show one of the best in the Midwest.

For several years, the Ishpeming

Renaissance Faire has been held

concurrently with the Gem &

Mineral Show, just across the street at

Lake Bancroft Park. This family-

friendly affair brought in a whole

new audience, many (or most!) of

whom crossed the street to visit our

show – as our visitors also sampled

the Renaissance Faire. We also

shared advertising with them.

Unfortunately, the Faire will not be

held this year. We’ll miss the energy

that the Faire gave to the area, and

hope that some of the Renaissance

Faire visitors from years past will still

come to the Gem and Mineral Show.

The Gem and Mineral Show, along

with our associated field trips, has

served for many years as the kick-off

INSIDE:

Upcoming Events

A Mystery

Gem & Mineral Show

Kaleidoscope 2016

Steamboat Indiana

Ishpeming Jasper

Continued on Page 2

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for a series of field trips and activities in the

Copper Country, capped by the Copper Country

Rock and Mineral Club’s Gem and Mineral Show

the following weekend. This week of rockhound

events has operated under a number of names,

most recently as Keweenaw Mineral Days. For

reasons unknown, the organizers have moved

Keweenaw Mineral Days into July. To fill the

week between the two clubs’ shows, the CCRMC

and the IRMC have undertaken to sponsor

Keweenaw Week, a special series of field trips and

activities in Marquette County and the Keweenaw.

In addition to our traditional Friday trip to the

Republic Mine and our Sunday trip to the

Lindberg Quarry, the Ishpeming club has

scheduled a special Monday field trip to the

Michigan Gold Mine. Participation will be limited,

and pre-registration will be required. Watch the

web site at http://www.ishpemingrocks.org for

updates! More information on Keweenaw Week

events can be found at

http://www.tamarackminerals.com/CCRMC/Ke

wWeek/index.html

-Dan Fountain

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

"Saturday at the Center – Rock Collecting"

Marquette Regional History Center

FEBRUARY 21, 2016

Program Meeting

“Collection of the Seaman Museum”

By George Robinson (via DVD)

MARCH 20, 2016

Program Meeting

Topic and presenter to be announced

APRIL 17, 2016

Annual Club Silent Auction

A variety of specimens donated by members and de-accessioned from the Club’s collection will be sold at silent auction. Don’t miss this chance to

build your collection.

MAY 15, 2016

Program Meeting

Topic and presenter to be announced

SUMMER 2016

Field trips!

We’re working on locations.

AUGUST 5, 2016

Gem & Mineral Show Field Trip

Republic Mine

AUGUST 6, 2016

41st Annual Gem & Mineral Show

AUGUST 7, 2016

Gem & Mineral Show Field Trip

Lindberg Quarry

AUGUST 8, 2016

Special Gem & Mineral Show Field Trip

Michigan Gold Mine

A MYSTERY AT THE MUSEUM

Below is a picture of a specimen in the Gem and

Mineral Collection of the Smithsonian’s Museum

of Natural History. Something is obviously

incorrect in the provenance provided for the

specimen. See if you can detect the errors. We’ll

tell you what we think is the correct answer in the

next Jaspilite.

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THE STEAMBOAT INDIANA’S LAST VOYAGE

(From an exhibit at the Smithsonian National

Museum of American History in Washington,

D.C. Adapted by Charlie Richardson)

On June 6, 1858, while carrying iron ore on Lake Superior, the Indiana went to the bottom off Crisp Point. She had loaded a cargo of 280 tons of iron ore from the Iron Mountain Mine at Ishpeming, consigned by the Cleveland Iron Company, at the docks in Marquette.

One of the ship’s propeller blades had loosened, striking the ship’s sternpost, causing a serious leak which sent her to the bottom. All 21 crew and passengers survived the sinking. Located by a sport diver in 1972, the Indiana’s pioneering propulsion machinery was raised seven years later by staff of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Constructed in 1848, the Indiana was an early propeller driven steamboat on the Great Lakes. Brought to Lake Superior before the opening of the first Sault lock in 1855, she had been portaged around the Sault rapids. Like most freighters on the Lakes, the Indiana wasn’t large or opulently appointed. It moved people and cargo around the lakes for ten years before coming to an all-too-common end.

Diving for History From 1991 to 1993, National Museum of American History staff made 211 dives in 120 feet of 34-degree water to recover artifacts and study the Indiana.

Site Plan of the Wreck The Indiana is preserved nearly intact on the sandy bed of Lake Superior. The position of the remains indicates that the bow hit the lake bed

KALEIDOSCOPE 2016

Kaleidoscope was a little smaller this year. It

seemed like it wasn't advertised as much as in

years past. However, members of the IRMC had

many good opportunities to interact with both

children and adults. A lot of enthusiasm for the

rocks and fossils was evident in the faces of the

kids. Adults were interested in the Club's

meetings and events during the summer. Thanks

to Dawn, Charlie, Norm, Bob, Dan and Glen for

helping Allen and me out this year.

Our young winner of the 72 specimens in the egg

cartons was Jaxon McCabe from Marquette. He

guessed the closest number of Apache Tears in the

jar. Jaxson attends kindergarten at Superior Hills.

His grandmother says the "he just loves rocks".

President, Dan Fountain presented Jaxon with his

prize. Congratulations Jaxon!

-Joyce Smith

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first, splitting the hull timbers open and spilling the iron ore cargo forward. The stern is virtually intact except for the missing deck houses and other structures, which broke away as the ship went down.

The Indiana sank when photography was in its infancy. There are very few contemporary photographs of Great Lakes vessels, and no known pictures of the Indiana. Shown below, the 1846 steamboat Globe is very close to the Indiana in size, shape, and overall configuration.

The Artifacts All of the following artifacts are included in the Indiana Exhibit at the Museum of American History.

Safe The safe was found lying on the sandy lake bed next to the wreck. Inside were a single coin, a small medicine bottle, and a clasp, probably from a notebook or ledger.

Bell This bell may have served as a watch bell signaling crew changes, a dinner bell, a fog bell, or all of the above.

Cup A sport diver recovered this cup from the wreck.

The “Philadelphia Wheel” The Indiana’s 10-foot propeller was manufactured by Spang & Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but its design is more of a mystery. A propeller designed by Richard Loper of Philadelphia is a close match. Widely used, it was sometimes advertised as the “Philadelphia Wheel.” One of the intact blades is chipped and dented, suggesting a collision. Another blade is missing, probably from hitting an object in the water. This piece struck the Indiana’s sternpost, literally “shivered her timbers,” and started the leak that sank the ship. The blade broke off completely when the ship struck the lake bed and was found at the wreck site. It is reproduced here in fiberglass.

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Whistle The ship’s whistle, powered by a steam line from the boiler, was used to signal other ships or the shore. It was invaluable in foggy or dark waters.

Hand Truck The hand truck was the artifact that revealed the vessel’s identity when the wreck was located in 1972—the words “PROPR INDIANA” are stamped into its handle.

Cargo Was the Indiana overloaded? The Indiana’s cargo—iron ore—was found on deck. While the ore probably did not sink the Indiana, it may have made the vessel top-heavy and unstable. The three pieces of iron ore pictured here were among several recovered from the wreck. A piece of coal is in the upper left of the photo.

Coal Coal was also found around the boiler in the hold, and historical sources show that it was also a common fuel on Great Lakes steamships.

Shovel The crew used the shovel to add fuel to the fires .

Capstan The capstan was used to pull a line for any number of tasks: raising or lowering anchors, hoisting sails and cargo, or other heavy jobs. Crewmen inserted heavy wooden poles called capstan bars into the holes, and several men pushed on each bar as they walked around the capstan

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Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club P.O. Box 102 Ishpeming MI 49849 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

The Ishpeming Rock and Mineral

Club

www.ishpemingrocks.org

President Dan Fountain

Vice President Ernest Johnson

Secretary Dawn Hoffman

Treasurer David McGowan

Program Chairman Ernest Johnson

Jaspilite Editor Dan Fountain

Trustees Bob Clark

John Crady

Beverly Trynoski

The club meets at the Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum in

Ishpeming at 1:30 p.m. on the third Sunday of the

month, September through November and

January through May. During the summer

business meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the

third Monday of the month.

From the Ishpeming Iron Ore, of April 17, 1897:

On Saturday last a large stone, jasper weighing about

five tons, was placed on the cars here consigned to

Akron, O. It is to be used as a monument over the

grave of S. A. Lane when that gentleman dies. He is

now in his eighty-fourth year, and it is by his wish that

the stone was shipped. Rather a novel idea that, of a

man arranging for his own monument, and rather a

novel monument to select.